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Guild Wars II sells 3 million copies

ArenaNet's MMORPG reaches new sales milestone; improvements to achievement, guild systems planned for 2013.

111 Comments

Guild Wars II has sold more than 3 million copies since launch in August, game director Colin Johanson said in a new blog post. The pay-once massively multiplayer online role-playing game sold more than 1 million copies prior to launch and 2 million units as of mid-September 2012.

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Johanson also spoke about plans for 2013. He said developer ArenaNet's goals for the upcoming year are to build on the areas of the game that were successful and learn from elements that "didn't work as well," all in the way of making sure "2013 is a year none of us will ever forget."

A focus for ArenaNet in the New Year is improving and expanding on the Guild Wars II achievement system. Johanson explained that players can expect new rewards and achievements, as well as daily achievements that will be different every day of the week.

ArenaNet is also working on a system that allows players to complete a sub-group of achievements to hit a daily requirement. This would make it so that if six daily achievements are available, gamers will need to complete only four of the six, thus allowing them to choose those they are most interested in.

Johanson also revealed that players can expect revisions to the Guild Wars II guild system in 2013 in an effort to foster greater community engagement. He said ArenaNet is working on bringing new types of content to the game that will allow players to embark on missions together. In addition, Johanson said this system will continue to be expanded over time with new guild rewards, missions, and tools for guilds of all sizes.

"Our promise to you in 2013 is to continue to build on the world we've built, to make it stronger, to refine and strengthen the game based on the core vision of Guild Wars II, and to make Guild Wars II an experience unlike any other online game," Johanson said.

For more on Guild Wars II, check out GameSpot's review.

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Avatar image for Cozm1kaos
Cozm1kaos

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Great game!!! must be played like no others, and must not be compared. It is unique in every way and I can see why some people stop. I myself stopped, than came back. Now I am playing it non stop and learned that this game cannot be played like other MMOS and definitely should not be compared to them. Brand new system like GW2, most likely leave most old school MMO players comparing, I know I did but never again. This game by far is the best game to date!!! enjoy all, and let the guild wars community grow.

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Unfallen_Satan

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Yeah! I am glad GW2 is doing well. I hope additional purchasable content will be released soon so i can keep supporting it. Gameplay wise, I've moved on to TSW. How I missed the silent protagonist, at least one that doesn't talk so much, and a world where not everyone is quite so irritating. I may go back to GW2 full time if they get better writers.

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Bamda

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Edited By Bamda

Guys I am going to take a rather strong stance on this constant boredom dialog that players keep bring up after they purchase a new game; especially when it comes to MMO. First there is not perfect game, realize the limitations of the game and learn to overcome it. No different than any other part of life. Learn to use the different facets of the game to your advantage. When it comes to playing GW2 I try to mix it up, if you’re enjoying what you’re currently doing then keep doing it. But there are plenty of different things to do in the game, work on crafting, and join one of 4 different World vs. World battles. Jump into some structured PvP; do some dungeon runs. I find one of the best ways to “enjoy myself” best in GW2 is by offering to help out others in the game; try shouting out in the different chats, in guild chat, to friends that you are available to help them. Remember that sharing your knowledge is a great way to make friends and help them enjoy the game even more. Another suggestion is join others on their Story line quests, makes the game much more enjoyable. I also enjoy going back over old zones and exploring then in greater detail, there are plenty of treasure chest and puzzle quests to explore. Of course there are the achievements that the game has, have you completed them all? I have just given you a few examples of what the game can offer you if you put the time in. Remember it’s not ArenaNet job to keep you entertained, that yours! So think outside the box, make up other ways that you can come up with on how the game can be more enjoyable there is always something to do.

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K1LLT3K

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All I can say is that after playing this, going back to any other MMO that is based on chance/ luck over skill (WoW, Rift, SWTOR) is impossible. The game may not be perfect, but arena net is on to something with GW2. Needs more time to develop though for endgame stuff I have heard.

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Fursnake

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How many of those 3 million are still playing? I got bored with GW2 within a couple months. It has some good concepts, but it's just another themepark with a gear grind on the end. Which is interesting, because I seem to remember them saying the end game was not going to be a gear grind.

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Kane04

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@Fursnake Let me guess, rush to lvl 80 map completion about 50% or less?

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Fursnake

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@Kane04

And you would be wrong. I have never enjoyed the quick rush to max level nor do I enjoy games where you max level in a short time frame. I finish every map I play on to 100%.

Also your comment seems kind of pointless, what does map completion have to do with anything I said? I never made any comment about the gameworld or the map.

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phatsanta

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@Kane04 @Fursnake Mu and lineage for starters

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Kane04

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Edited By Kane04

@Fursnake @Kane04 My comment was simple.

People either grind in the same map for weeks/months following some "quick gold guide".
Or they complete the worldmap (was what I meant by map completion, as in the entire world map).

So like you said, you got 100% on the ones you did saw, implying you haven't cleared the entire world map.
Thats kinda wasting to say the least, but what ever.

Also on your original post you mention "gear grind" the only grind you have to do for gear is dungeon gear (and a week with an hour a day is enough for the full amour set and a couple of weapons) and legendary weapons (which are just skins with no improved stats over exotic ones).

I've never crafted anything and I have 2 full sets of exotic gear, and when I say full set I mean armor/trinkets/weapons, one DPS one MF, all and all some 150~200 gold worth or gear.
And all I did was complete the map never stepped twice on the same place (I.E. always finding new fresh places), farm every node I came across and kill any mob I layed eyes on, thats it and still I have some 50 gold coins in the pocket.

So name a MMO with less "grinding" than this.

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Bamda

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Edited By Bamda

@Fursnake I am, I have 5 80th lvls and I am going to be purchasing 3 more character slots soon. Best game of 2012 by far. I will be playing till GW3!.

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K1LLT3K

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@Fursnake I thought the gear grind was just for different skins, not any different stats atm?

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Fursnake

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@K1LLT3K

That's what they claim, but it doesn't really seem to play out like that.

Also, I find that a gear grind for purely cosmetics is not really that different from gear grind for stats, just less useful.

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JIMDOG4442002

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GW2 is awesome enough said.

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Tristan2668

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This game was just as disappointing as Diablo 3. Bought both, played for a few weeks, got bored and never touched them again.

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Cozm1kaos

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@Tristan2668 D3 I can see as being boring, GW2 I can believe it can get boring to players who play and compare to old MMOS. GW2 is really fun bro, you have to really explore to realize it.


=)

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Tristan2668

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@Cozm1kaos @Tristan2668 Ya but levelling up enough so you can survive the higher level areas is such a pain because it's boring and repetitive. They nead to add more veriety. It has potential though :(

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JuanKing

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Loved GW and waited a long time for GW2 and, while it is a great game, it wasn't good enough to hold my attention for long, and on a personal level these aren't the changes that would make me want to play again.

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Cozm1kaos

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@JuanKing GW1 sucked so bad dude, you think its better than 2? lol

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JuanKing

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Edited By JuanKing

@Cozm1kaos @JuanKing i didn't say either was the better game, and i disagree on the sucking part. Not every game is everyones cup of tea

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BlueRaptor7

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Anyone else having problems staying interested in this game? It seems like after you learn your 5 skills per weapon (level 5?) that you have available to your profession, there's absolutely nothing to look forward to.

I just find myself bored with the game. It lacks something that other MMO's have. But it's definitely a step in the right direction.

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Kane04

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@BlueRaptor7 lol?

You have a gigantic map to explore, loads or gear that you can even combine and make your own unic armor, that alone a good 2 months nvm the rest.

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BigAl519

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Edited By BigAl519

What they failed to say is 2.5 million of those buyers have already realized the game is not that good and stopped playing.

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DOW161

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Yea Guild Wars 2 is great, I am still playing it and all these changes just sound amazing.


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Stonecutters908

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I played it for two months and then stopped, never to return. Just got boring and my friends stopped playing it, so to getting anything done is five times as hard because every challenge is based around doing things together so when you are on a barren server the game is close to impossible. I have to admit, this game was a let down for me. I was expecting to play this for years and it only held my interest for a couple months. Shame.

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Kane04

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@Stonecutters908 I have over 100% of magic find (albeing with some nourishment) which significantly takes away on my defence and I still can handle 5~6 mobs in Orr all by myself.

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andrew_ribbons

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@Stonecutters908 Funnily enough an MMO is best played in a group of friends. Who don't disappear.

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shingui5

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@Tripwolf @Kh1ndjal you can't buy gear off the cash shop.


try harder.

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laimis911

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Edited By laimis911

Great game , bought 2 weeks ago , but it looks like sales are a bit low . They have spend 5 years developing it and just 3 millions sold . It's a shame when poor quality games from EA and Atcivision selling millions and quality+ quantity like Guild Wars 2 only few .

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andrew_ribbons

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@laimis911 Urm...3 million copies in 4 months is not low sales...

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Kh1ndjal

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This is league of legends all over again.


The first year comprised of overwhelming hate and mudslinging by players who had collectively assembled the largest mountain of stupid arguments (it's too easy, it has a cash shop, its pay 2 win). Hell, gamespot's own forums are home to an archive of this kind of irrelevant crap. Of course, the biggest argument against it was:

"It doesn't have as many players as the competition"

And now, to quote Wikipedia again: "As of July 2012, League of Legends had over 32 million registrations and averages 12 million players worldwide per day, with the number of concurrent users online at any given time peaking over 3 million. Players also collectively log 1 billion hours per month, making League of Legends the world's most played video game"

For every preview, review and piece of news that indicated LoL was somehow not the utter failure players claimed it to be, legions of LoL-haters would gather in the forums and comment sections to regurgitate their personal brand of garbage.

The irony is multifold. LoL's cash shop is closer to Guild Wars' and Guild Wars 2's than WoW's payment system. We know how that idea turned out to be a failure 7 years running. Second, dota is less popular than LoL, the game that was allegedly "the dota clone, the poor man's dota, the noob's dota", the same claims leveled against Guild Wars 2 and its predecessor. Lastly, it's currently more popular than WoW itself.


I don't have to respond to or convince the haters but sometimes there's so much crap in the comments section i feel i have to do it for the benefit of the uninformed; the spectators who're here just to read news and perhaps decide if they should try out a new game.

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andrew_ribbons

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@Kh1ndjal Basically all of that can be whittled down to

"there are a lot of immature, ill informed morons on Gamespot forums"


Welcome. To the past decade of Gamespot =D

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DuaneDog

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Very solid game. I play lots of different games so I'm not one of those that spends a majority of my time in Guild Wars 2. What I think I like best is that you can start several professions (classes) and that they all play very different. The skill slots allow different strategies but make you really think about which ones you want to use at any time. I love the fact that other players can rez you on the battlefield.


The idea of jump puzzles and vistas. So many great things without any monthly subscription. I also think there is just enough story with voice dialog to hold it together... personally i would like more but they have done enough. Deserving of GOY in a year with lots of awesome games.

I do though love to jump over to Crusader Kings 2 or something like The Walking Dead to mix it up. Me thinks one of the biggest 'failures' someone can make in playing an MMO is expecting it to be the only game you will ever play.

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FlawlessArts-

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I'm one of them : P

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khajiitilion

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@Tripwolf @Kh1ndjal Fighting legitimate arguments with ignorance. Way to go there, bud.

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twtech

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Edited By twtech

I think if GW2 was the first game of this sort that I'd played, it would have totally captivated me.

The problem is, I played WoW for nearly 6 years, and by the time I finally cancelled my accounts for the last time, I really was so sick of that type of gameplay that I had no desire to ever go back to it.

GW is not exactly the same as WoW, but it is still mostly about clicking on a target and then mashing a skill button - or three. GW2 has more evolved gameplay when compared to WoW, but at this point I need something completely different.

Also, I would actually like to have the option of grinding sometimes. I can't really get into the prebaked storyline in MMOs because the world doesn't change. I know somebody just turned in this same quest 10 seconds ago. I prefer the storylines that users make as a result of playing the game.

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Erebus

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Edited By Erebus

I had a lot of fun playing this game. Life beckons, however.

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risako9

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3 million? i guess it's too late for me to start GW2.

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shingui5

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@risako9 why?

kind of a weird statement...

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deactivated-5f9e3c6a83e51

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That's the one nice thing about MMO's. They are works in progress. They can change the stuff that isnt so good. All in all, I've been pretty happy with the game, but I'd like to see more end game content.

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lo_crow98

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Got to level 30 and realized I was working through a painful grind. Accomplishments and events lacked a certain 'punch' and felt like simple zerging. The heart areas were more just quests but without really feeling connected to what you were doing, so it feels very mindless. I'm glad others enjoy it so much but it isn't the big WOW I was waiting for.

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kornhd

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@lo_crow98 Yeah, I believe that system was created so quests would be more dynamic since most of the people don't read quests, they just go "next, next, next" until they can get it. The moment I did the first quest I noticed that'd disappoint those who do read and pay attention on the quests. I personally liked it, but you do have a point.

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andrew_ribbons

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@kornhd @lo_crow98 I MMO with friends mainly so that never happens to me in any Story mode i wish to enjoy.

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Poodger

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This game was very fun. Even after completing this game 100%, I still found reasons to log back in and play. I look forward to many updates and expansions in the future!

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andrew_ribbons

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@Poodger If you 100%'d it and then went away for 6 months and came back, you'd probs be down to 90% again. There's already been a whole new area released just before Xmas. Another supposedly on the way for late Feb.

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Poodger

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@andrew_ribbons @Poodger Yes I know. I have been playing through all the new content. The new area doesn't count towards world completion though btw. But it does add some great jumping puzzles

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flammable_zeus

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I look forward to them changing up the guild system. For a game called Guild Wars 2 I've seen surprisingly little emphasis on guilds. In fact I haven't even seen a reason to join one yet.

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Kos1c

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GW2 was a bit meh. I played the beta and found it ok. I didn't buy into the retail cos my friend convinced me not too. He ended up buying a copy to play in the Beta. Just before the game hit retail, he asked for a refund, and got his money back, but they didn't revoke his CD key.
After a while I ended up asking for his copy of him. Managed to hit level 25-27, while experience problems with the game.
Every quest I was doing, I was 2-4 levels below the recommended level requirement (even after clearing all quests in the starting zones), the combat was repetitive as hell, and quests were just a copy of the one before. The game grew tiring that I felt like it was a waste of time. I dropped out after 3 days of playing.

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PinchySkree

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Edited By PinchySkree

Weak marketing ploy.

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Mr_BillGates

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Generic MMORPG.

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Arbalon

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This is a nice MMORPG for sure..

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